Nearly half the country (54%), or about 114 million Americans, give fair (38%) or poor (16%) grades to the U.S. healthcare system, with even deeper frustration around affordability and access.
Dentistry is feeling the effects. More than half of adults are delaying care due to cost. And with rising interest rates slowing DSO expansion, growth is becoming harder to sustain.
But a quieter shift is starting to take hold: subscription-based dentistry.
This model gives patients direct access to affordable, comprehensive care without needing traditional insurance.
Emerging trends and industry adoption
From 2012 to 2018, subscription businesses grew more than 300%. Growth like that doesn’t happen by accident.
In healthcare, subscription models start with something simple: offer a service people truly value and make it accessible to as many patients as possible. By adopting this approach, you’re shaping part of your business strategy around what patients need now and what they’ll need in the future.
This patient-first mindset not only builds stronger loyalty but also creates a system of shared value — where patients, providers, and the broader community all benefit.
Organizations that embrace this shift move healthcare forward. They find new ways to create social impact and unlock opportunities their competitors overlook.
It’s a movement that’s hard to ignore.
What’s important, how we measure it, and the success we've seen
Overall, academic literature generally suggests that higher customer satisfaction leads to positive outcomes for businesses.
In dentistry, research indicates that uninsured patients tend to be less compliant with preventive care visits and treatment acceptance, completing only a fraction of the procedures compared to insured patients.
So why are uninsured patients so disengaged? It’s not because they dread going to the dentist or had a bad experience — it’s because they lack dental coverage and fear the high cost of care.
As a result, they avoid visits and treatment, and your teams are forced to offer discounts to incentivize treatment. These patients typically fall within what’s known as the zone of sacrifice on the satisfaction scale.
What is patient sacrifice?
72 million US adults don’t have dental coverage. When these patients need care, they often settle for less.
A one-time discount. A quick fix. A reason to wait until something hurts.
Patient sacrifice = what they truly need – what they settle for. Most won’t say it out loud, but they want consistent, affordable care, not just discounts on emergencies.
That’s where subscription dentistry comes in. Membership plans give patients what they actually want: predictable costs, routine visits, and a reason to stay connected to your practice.
At Clerri, we help practices and DSOs build membership programs that replace sacrifice with satisfaction.
Impact of a subscription-based model in dentistry
Clerri is trusted by 20,000 providers nationwide across independent offices, groups, and DSOs and has spent years collecting practice management data to compare the performance of Clerri patients to uninsured patients and PPO patients.
The analysis is used to understand the impact Clerri has on patient behavior and practice performance.
These results are consistent across practices of all sizes, no matter the location or insurance participation status. You can read more about the results in our Membership Effect ebook.
Leverage subscription business strategies to improve CAC and LTV
The growth at all costs methodology is out. Of course, marketing matters. New patients matter. But when acquisition is the only focus, you spend heavily to fill chairs — and then lose those patients just as quickly.
Membership plans don’t replace your marketing efforts. They make them work harder. They give new patients a reason to stay, return, and build trust with your team. They also re-engage your existing cash-pay and inactive patients, helping practices lower acquisition costs (CAC) over time and increase the lifetime value (LTV) of each patient.
Considerations for implementation
Design plans that empower every location
A strong dental membership plan supports provider autonomy while maintaining consistency across your group. Build a framework that gives each office the flexibility to tailor offerings to its patients, while ensuring a unified experience that scales with your organization.
Turn data into decisions
DSOs need a clear view of performance at the office level, across regions, and throughout the entire organization. In-house systems make it difficult to track the full picture. The right technology provides real-time data on enrollment, renewals, and revenue, giving leaders the insights they need to drive growth with confidence.
Equip your team to succeed
Your team is the face of the plan. When they understand its value and know how to talk about it, adoption grows naturally. Invest in training and resources that make it easy for every team member — from the front desk to the regional manager — to champion your plan from the start.
The bottom line
Subscription-based models reimagine what dental care can look like. A model where patients feel empowered and practices can thrive, and where access to quality care is no longer out of reach.
Ultimately, it's a movement toward a more equitable, accessible, and patient-centered future.
